The Labour Party

Gaudion M said:
I'd say it is worse than that.

They have cut the wages of NHS / key workers / front line staff systematically over the last 2 parliaments. They did it while continuing with the pension triple lock purely because of the headlines it would provoke in the right wing press. And they have dropped the tax rate for the highest earners and massively increased the wages of MPs.... There is nothing smart about this, its blatant self interest at the expense of the nations finances.
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And slashed corporation tax ...which benefits no one other than the big companies.
 
Mr Brown has created his rather large head.
Talking about economics and the coronavirus, quite funny in a sad way.
 
One last try to see if anyone on here can answer this.

There is already a Conservative party, a party of the right, a party of the free market, a party of individualism.

Explain to me what a party of the left should look like, what policies you would like to see a party of the Left have in a manifesto.

Here are 20 primers, can any on here tell me what is wrong with the following and why it should be different, what alternative would better suit the nation.

1/ The NHS should be funded properly, nurses should be paid a proper wage.
2/ The welfare state should be a treasured institution, that provides a proper safety net for those who come across hard times and it should support those unable to support themselves
3/ Everybody who can work, should work
4/ Everybody should pay there fair share of taxation
5/ Infrastructure, like the railways should be in public ownership, its a vital national asset and should be treated accordingly
6/ The armed forces should be properly funded and the services restored to former numbers, with British built ships, British built tanks etc
7/ The police force should be restored to the numbers pre 2008, law and order is the bedrock of a decent society
8/ Immigration should be controlled, asylum seekers should be welcome as per international agreements
9/ Children should receive the best education possible, it should be free and if they want to go on to further education then they should be encouraged to do so and it should be free. Education closes the inequality gap and provides the skills that an economy needs
10/ Nobody should ever be homeless in a rich modern country, Build a million new council houses, with rents at affordable rates and tenancy agreements available for life
11/ Start a new National Investment Bank, that is available for SMEs so that they can provide jobs and help the economy prosper
12/ Invest in green technology, its the future, we no longer rely on coal
13/ Close tax loopholes that allow those with wealth to move wealth out of the country
14/ Electricity and Gas provision is vital for the nation to prosper, it should be owned by the people who need it and paid for it. The public.
15/ No library should ever be shut, they are vital institutions that help educate the nation.
16/ Trial by jury should be sacrosanct
17/ Prisons should be a place that offers rehabilitation, but also punishes those who commit heinious crime. Prison officer numbers should be restored to former numbers
18/ Local Government should have power to act on local issues, the grants should be restored so that local government cam meet the needs of local people
19/ Broadband/wifi should be available to everyone and every child should be given a tablet/laptop on starting school to help educate them properly. Education will help close the productivity gap
20/ Unions should be restored to prominence, they are responsible for so many things we take for granted today and collective bargaining helps ensure wages are paid at a proper level.


OK, there is 20 things that this "hard" left "numpty" would like to see for our country, I believe those 20 things would help restore pride in our country, enhance the patriotic feelings towards our nation, because patriotism is about loving the country you live in. It would enhance the role of family and reduce inequality.

Now who will deconstruct those 20 points and explain to this "hard" left "numpty" where I am going wrong?
 
Rascal said:
One last try to see if anyone on here can answer this.

There is already a Conservative party, a party of the right, a party of the free market, a party of individualism.

Explain to me what a party of the left should look like, what policies you would like to see a party of the Left have in a manifesto.

Here are 20 primers, can any on here tell me what is wrong with the following and why it should be different, what alternative would better suit the nation.

1/ The NHS should be funded properly, nurses should be paid a proper wage.
2/ The welfare state should be a treasured institution, that provides a proper safety net for those who come across hard times and it should support those unable to support themselves
3/ Everybody who can work, should work
4/ Everybody should pay there fair share of taxation
5/ Infrastructure, like the railways should be in public ownership, its a vital national asset and should be treated accordingly
6/ The armed forces should be properly funded and the services restored to former numbers, with British built ships, British built tanks etc
7/ The police force should be restored to the numbers pre 2008, law and order is the bedrock of a decent society
8/ Immigration should be controlled, asylum seekers should be welcome as per international agreements
9/ Children should receive the best education possible, it should be free and if they want to go on to further education then they should be encouraged to do so and it should be free. Education closes the inequality gap and provides the skills that an economy needs
10/ Nobody should ever be homeless in a rich modern country, Build a million new council houses, with rents at affordable rates and tenancy agreements available for life
11/ Start a new National Investment Bank, that is available for SMEs so that they can provide jobs and help the economy prosper
12/ Invest in green technology, its the future, we no longer rely on coal
13/ Close tax loopholes that allow those with wealth to move wealth out of the country
14/ Electricity and Gas provision is vital for the nation to prosper, it should be owned by the people who need it and paid for it. The public.
15/ No library should ever be shut, they are vital institutions that help educate the nation.
16/ Trial by jury should be sacrosanct
17/ Prisons should be a place that offers rehabilitation, but also punishes those who commit heinious crime. Prison officer numbers should be restored to former numbers
18/ Local Government should have power to act on local issues, the grants should be restored so that local government cam meet the needs of local people
19/ Broadband/wifi should be available to everyone and every child should be given a tablet/laptop on starting school to help educate them properly. Education will help close the productivity gap
20/ Unions should be restored to prominence, they are responsible for so many things we take for granted today and collective bargaining helps ensure wages are paid at a proper level.


OK, there is 20 things that this "hard" left "numpty" would like to see for our country, I believe those 20 things would help restore pride in our country, enhance the patriotic feelings towards our nation, because patriotism is about loving the country you live in. It would enhance the role of family and reduce inequality.

Now who will deconstruct those 20 points and explain to this "hard" left "numpty" where I am going wrong?
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Nothing at all wrong with any of that I'd agree to every item on your list, it's where we should be isn't it? It's just a shame that we haven't got a political party wanting to offer it.
 
Rascal said:
One last try to see if anyone on here can answer this.

There is already a Conservative party, a party of the right, a party of the free market, a party of individualism.

Explain to me what a party of the left should look like, what policies you would like to see a party of the Left have in a manifesto.

Here are 20 primers, can any on here tell me what is wrong with the following and why it should be different, what alternative would better suit the nation.

1/ The NHS should be funded properly, nurses should be paid a proper wage. - In theory yes but “funded properly” and a “proper wage” isn’t specific and people may disagree with what is funded “properly” or a “proper wage”.

2/ The welfare state should be a treasured institution, that provides a proper safety net for those who come across hard times and it should support those unable to support themselves - It shouldn’t be glorified to encourage people but it shouldn’t be demonised either. If I lose my job, as someone able to work, I should be covered, so I don’t lose my house and livelihood, for a limited amount of time before universal credit kicks in. If someone is unable to work, they should be covered to ensure they can afford to be relatively comfortably.

3/ Everybody who can work, should work - Agree with this. I’d clean toilets over not working.

4/ Everybody should pay there fair share of taxation - Totally subjective, I think our current system is reasonable enough.

5/ Infrastructure, like the railways should be in public ownership, its a vital national asset and should be treated accordingly - If you can prove to me it’s cost effective and generally more effective then yes, if not, keep it private. It shouldn’t be done for ideological purposes only.

6/ The armed forces should be properly funded and the services restored to former numbers, with British built ships, British built tanks etc - Agree 100%, I couldn’t agree more. Retaining Trident is also crucial.

7/ The police force should be restored to the numbers pre 2008, law and order is the bedrock of a decent society - Again I totally agree.

8/ Immigration should be controlled, asylum seekers should be welcome as per international agreements - Totally agree. The new points system I’m a big supporter of.

9/ Children should receive the best education possible, it should be free and if they want to go on to further education then they should be encouraged to do so and it should be free. Education closes the inequality gap and provides the skills that an economy needs - Agree about education standards improving, of course, higher education shouldn’t be free though. Students who can’t afford the debt don’t pay it and it’s written off if they can never afford it, they should of course contribute to what they’ve benefited so much from, if they then earn a decent living.

10/ Nobody should ever be homeless in a rich modern country, Build a million new council houses, with rents at affordable rates and tenancy agreements available for life - This is easier said than done, the help is often there for homeless people but they don’t want to enter accommodation that doesn’t allow drug taking/ people who aren’t clean from drugs. I believe Burnham has more than a bed per homeless person now but he can’t fill them.

11/ Start a new National Investment Bank, that is available for SMEs so that they can provide jobs and help the economy prosper - Not sure on this one, I would have to do more research before giving an opinion.

12/ Invest in green technology, its the future, we no longer rely on coal - Agree but make sure it’s a proper investment to reap the rewards later.

13/ Close tax loopholes that allow those with wealth to move wealth out of the country - Agree somewhat, we need businesses to want to trade in the UK though. Companies may pay less tax here than elsewhere but if they’re employing x amount of people then that benefit us.

14/ Electricity and Gas provision is vital for the nation to prosper, it should be owned by the people who need it and paid for it. The public. - As per the travel infrastructure point, if it’s financially beneficial and most effective, then yes but if not, keep it private. The evidence is on you to show that it’s beneficial.

15/ No library should ever be shut, they are vital institutions that help educate the nation. - Agree.

16/ Trial by jury should be sacrosanct - Agree.

17/ Prisons should be a place that offers rehabilitation, but also punishes those who commit heinious crime. Prison officer numbers should be restored to former numbers - Agree. Class A drug offences should be strong to deter too. My mate is a former prison officer and sometimes there’s one guard for 100 prisoners he said, he’s going to be a father so quit, as he said it’s only a matter of time before the vastly understaffed officers lose colleagues to violence.

18/ Local Government should have power to act on local issues, the grants should be restored so that local government cam meet the needs of local people - Agree.

19/ Broadband/wifi should be available to everyone and every child should be given a tablet/laptop on starting school to help educate them properly. Education will help close the productivity gap - It shouldn’t be free nor nationalised, the evidence pointed towards this Labour policy of nationalising OpenReach to be a total disaster. BT’s former CEO (now retired) said it would result in many jobs being loss and a lack of productivity. Ideally yes, investment needs to be put back into education .

20/ Unions should be restored to prominence, they are responsible for so many things we take for granted today and collective bargaining helps ensure wages are paid at a proper level. - Disagree. They should be there to use if you’ve been treated very badly as an individual but not to hold organisations to ransom for pay increases. I appreciate a Covid-19 may change things here but in usual circumstances, over the last 10 years, we’ve had seriously low unemployment and the beauty of a competitive market place is that you can take your labour elsewhere for more money.


OK, there is 20 things that this "hard" left "numpty" would like to see for our country, I believe those 20 things would help restore pride in our country, enhance the patriotic feelings towards our nation, because patriotism is about loving the country you live in. It would enhance the role of family and reduce inequality.

Agree with this bit above too.

Now who will deconstruct those 20 points and explain to this "hard" left "numpty" where I am going wrong?
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There you go, I’ve come back on each point.
 
Rascal said:
One last try to see if anyone on here can answer this.

There is already a Conservative party, a party of the right, a party of the free market, a party of individualism.

Explain to me what a party of the left should look like, what policies you would like to see a party of the Left have in a manifesto.

Here are 20 primers, can any on here tell me what is wrong with the following and why it should be different, what alternative would better suit the nation.

1/ The NHS should be funded properly, nurses should be paid a proper wage.
2/ The welfare state should be a treasured institution, that provides a proper safety net for those who come across hard times and it should support those unable to support themselves
3/ Everybody who can work, should work
4/ Everybody should pay there fair share of taxation
5/ Infrastructure, like the railways should be in public ownership, its a vital national asset and should be treated accordingly
6/ The armed forces should be properly funded and the services restored to former numbers, with British built ships, British built tanks etc
7/ The police force should be restored to the numbers pre 2008, law and order is the bedrock of a decent society
8/ Immigration should be controlled, asylum seekers should be welcome as per international agreements
9/ Children should receive the best education possible, it should be free and if they want to go on to further education then they should be encouraged to do so and it should be free. Education closes the inequality gap and provides the skills that an economy needs
10/ Nobody should ever be homeless in a rich modern country, Build a million new council houses, with rents at affordable rates and tenancy agreements available for life
11/ Start a new National Investment Bank, that is available for SMEs so that they can provide jobs and help the economy prosper
12/ Invest in green technology, its the future, we no longer rely on coal
13/ Close tax loopholes that allow those with wealth to move wealth out of the country
14/ Electricity and Gas provision is vital for the nation to prosper, it should be owned by the people who need it and paid for it. The public.
15/ No library should ever be shut, they are vital institutions that help educate the nation.
16/ Trial by jury should be sacrosanct
17/ Prisons should be a place that offers rehabilitation, but also punishes those who commit heinious crime. Prison officer numbers should be restored to former numbers
18/ Local Government should have power to act on local issues, the grants should be restored so that local government cam meet the needs of local people
19/ Broadband/wifi should be available to everyone and every child should be given a tablet/laptop on starting school to help educate them properly. Education will help close the productivity gap
20/ Unions should be restored to prominence, they are responsible for so many things we take for granted today and collective bargaining helps ensure wages are paid at a proper level.


OK, there is 20 things that this "hard" left "numpty" would like to see for our country, I believe those 20 things would help restore pride in our country, enhance the patriotic feelings towards our nation, because patriotism is about loving the country you live in. It would enhance the role of family and reduce inequality.

Now who will deconstruct those 20 points and explain to this "hard" left "numpty" where I am going wrong?
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1) That is not a policy it’s a statement how much is the salary how much is the funding will you borrow or tax to pay for it

2) yet again a statement not a policy

3) yet again no details so it’s pointless I have never seen any party say people shouldn’t work if they can. How you going to make someone work who doesn’t want to

4) in principle yes in practice not possible. Yet again never heard any party say people shouldn’t pay their taxes

5) prove it works by trialing it before putting the whole thing on the public purse

6) as I feel we should finally avoid getting involved in conflicts I disagree but a basic decent funded military is a good thing

7) agree

8) agree

9) I would have a total rethink on education Blair’s idea of sending stupid amounts of people to uni wasn’t a good idea.

10) tough one is social housing needed yes would I want a large council estate near me no thanks. Agreement for life? No

11) agree

12) agree

13) get a tax expert on closing loopholes is a cliche I have been hearing for 30 years there isn’t a big tax book of loopholes, most are there for a reason so closing a tax law will stop some taking the piss but equally it would harm those using it correctly

14 ) prove it’s cost effective and the service would be decent

15) with technology there is less need but as part of say community centres and other projects then yes.

16) agree

17) agree

18) not much meat on the bones there not a policy but a statement

19) free broadband WiFi and laptops for all the last election laughed that one out of town.

20) I believe in unions I am a member of one but they are pretty useless, yet again prominence is a statement not a policy, what powers are you going to give them?
 
mexico1970 said:
Nothing at all wrong with any of that I'd agree to every item on your list, it's where we should be isn't it? It's just a shame that we haven't got a political party wanting to offer it.
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From yours and others replies it is a start and it is the sort of I want to see from a Labour Party. Its not perfect, but if Starmer is serious he should be out there asking what people want and saying is this the sort of thing that appeals. Its Social Democratic, its not hard left although it would be portrayed as such in the media.

I have never agreed 100% with the Labour party, I have always found things that the Tories and Lib Dems have come up with that I agree with and although my politics is firmly to the left and my ideals are rooted in Marxism, the mere mention of Marx brings out people in hives because the Overton window has moved progressively rightwards since the 70s. Labour has to pull the Overton window leftwards and make the sort of politics once common more relevant to todays world. Corbyn rightly or wrongly was slammed as being hard left yet in the long term what he has achieved is to bring the Overton window leftwards again, by doing that and normalising the language of the left he allows for moderate left policies to be acceptable as I think my points above kind of prove. They are not hard left, but overall from the answers given they were broadly acceptable, even if the odd policy wasn't. The trick is finding what does appeal and what is acceptable whilst quietly ditching what is not.

The left is always seen as ideological, where as the right have escaped that chalice, even though I happen to believe the right is an ideological vacuum at the moment filled by populist and nationalist thought its thinking such as a total belief in the free market as a solution to everything is broadly accepted even when it has proved to be idiotic and wrong headed.

I will use the railways as an example of why I believe the free market is not always the answer. Railway privatisation was allowed to happen because the right had demonised British Rail for years and the tales of stale sandwiches are the stuff of legend. Its powerful and myth often clouds judgement. Yet having competing companies on a line designed to cater for limited capacity is nonsensical, it becomes a monopoly and a licence to print money for the owners whilst receiving huge subsidies from the state. The state is putting money directly into the hands of shareholders without any proof that service has actually improved that much to justify it. We now have the ridiculous situation where state owned companies from Holland and Germany take profits from our railways to subsidise rail travel in their own countries. If you have used the Deutchebahn the difference between it and our railway companies is astonishing, they are different class and the UK taxpayer is helping fund the excellence of the German railways whilst the lines around Manchester use overcrowded 30 year old trains on a crumbling network.

For too long the right have been able to use State=bad, Private=good ideology to sell national assets in order to fund tax cuts. Its akin to selling the family silver at a knock down price in order to build a greenhouse with no windows. It would cost nothing to bring the railways back under state control as it has already done so with a number of rail franchises that were failing and on one in particular the East Coast line customer satisfaction went through the roof. So I would advocate state ownership but run by an alliance of those who are business savvy alongside those who use the service. This is already happening in the NHS where patients are having a greater say in how the NHS works and what services are relevant and how they are delivered. A precedent therefore exists for it to happen.

The other example I will use is free broadband and a free laptop/tablet to every child. Imagine if this had been in place before this covid crisis, no child would have missed out on any education because the means to do lessons would have been there, its been shown that working from home for many workers is not only desirable, its cost effective, it cut downs overheads for a company and it actually helps improve the environment at the same time as less people travel to work. Working from home could well become the new normal and free broadband would help open the job market to millions of people who at the moment have no broadband or poor broadband coverage. Its effects on reducing inequality could well be enormous. Yet as Hilts says it was laughed out of town. But the seed was planted and due to the covid crisis it has shown it could work and work well. Already in healthcare there is a move towards digital technology, this will mean it is hoped that less people would need to attend a GPs surgery or a Specialists appointment at hospital. If free broadband is available to all, the cost savings to the NHS could well pay for the installation of free broadband on its own. Plus it would also cut down travel, free up space for emergencies and again be good for the environment. You could log in the morning and see a Doctor on line in minutes through technology such as Zoom. I know this happening at the moment as I am part of the team at Innovation Health Manchester looking into it. Free broadband could really help this be a huge success and in this covid era have a massive impact on cutting down infection rates. So yes it was laughed at first, but now it seems extremely practical and forward thinking.

I know things don't change overnight and Labour has a huge challenge in the future, it has to counter both myth and the prevelant ideology of the day, it can do that, but sadly for me, I just don't see it under Starmer.
 
Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese said:
Two cheeks of the same arse shouting at each other across the commons now im afraid. Any deviation denounced as extreme
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Not any deviation, just the only deviation was Corbyn, who was an extremist.

Nobody would begrudge a Blue Labour traditional left party.

My wish is for both main parties to break up. Have your two centrist parties headed by Johnson and Starmer but then add a traditional socialist party and a traditional Conservative party, that actually is conservative, not some Blairite liberal bumbling desperate-for-power mess.
 
Rascal said:
I will use the railways as an example of why I believe the free market is not always the answer. Railway privatisation was allowed to happen because the right had demonised British Rail for years and the tales of stale sandwiches are the stuff of legend. Its powerful and myth often clouds judgement. Yet having competing companies on a line designed to cater for limited capacity is nonsensical, it becomes a monopoly and a licence to print money for the owners whilst receiving huge subsidies from the state.
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There aren't very many instances where rival companies 'compete' on the same line. There are a few open access companies that have emerged to fill a gap in the market - e.g. Hull Trains emerged to provide a direct Hull-London service because the East Coast franchise didn't see it as a priority. There is also a new Blackpool-Euston venture also by Grand Central scheduled to start next year because Virgin now Avanti weren't providing a very good level of service. Time will tell if the new venture succeeds in finding enough new customers to make it work.

On most busy lines there just isn't enough capacity to have competing companies on the same line. Essentially despite rail usage doubling since 1997 we are still using the same infrastructure we were left with after the network was severely trimmed back in the 1960s. We've also been very slow at modernising what remained, including under Labour governments (e.g. only around 10 miles of track were electrified over the whole of the 1997-2010 period).

Another point is that the train operating companies are very constrained by DfT oversight, to the point where they need approval to operate each and every service. DfT also specify the types of trains and number of coaches that the TOCs can use. It is very far removed from a free market.
 
Ban-jani said:
Nobody would begrudge a Blue Labour traditional left party.
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And the irony of ironies in that statement is that is that probably one of the parties you could associate with its Christian Democratic approach based around traditional Catholic teachings is Sinn Fein, admittedly Sinn Fein does also have a more radical leftist wing that associates itself with Marxism. It is socially conservative (anti-abortion,anti same sex marriage) whilst being economically to the left. Mutter Merkel is also somebody you would probably associate with it too and she welcomed immigration although I think that is part of the German constitution that anybody who can prove they are of Germanic descent is welcome in the Motherland. I think I am right but I am happy to bow to others knowledge but when Blair converted to Catholicism he was the first catholic to ever be PM of the UK. Religion is not often discussed in UK politics, our politicians generally dont express any faith or thank God like the American president, but the differences do exist in my opinion. The Tory party has long had associations with the CofE to such an extent the Synod is seen as the Tory party at prayer. It manifests itself through the Protestant work ethic, much beloved by the right wing.

Ed Miliband was going this way when he spoke of predistribution, a concept that at the time was laughed at by the commentariat, it is essentially welfarist and promotes a belief in state interventionist capitalism.

I am no lover of Glassman who was the initial mover behind Blue Labour, along with Cruddas I think, as I think it has led to the many accusations thrown around about Blairites being tories in disguise. Where blue Labour advocates such as Paul Embery the FBU chief and the Left do agree is they are both anti-EU, so I think neither faction will hold much sway as long as the pro-EU liberal left under Starmer have control of the party.
 
Rascal said:
And the irony of ironies in that statement is that is that probably one of the parties you could associate with its Christian Democratic approach based around traditional Catholic teachings is Sinn Fein, admittedly Sinn Fein does also have a more radical leftist wing that associates itself with Marxism. It is socially conservative (anti-abortion,anti same sex marriage) whilst being economically to the left. Mutter Merkel is also somebody you would probably associate with it too and she welcomed immigration although I think that is part of the German constitution that anybody who can prove they are of Germanic descent is welcome in the Motherland. I think I am right but I am happy to bow to others knowledge but when Blair converted to Catholicism he was the first catholic to ever be PM of the UK. Religion is not often discussed in UK politics, our politicians generally dont express any faith or thank God like the American president, but the differences do exist in my opinion. The Tory party has long had associations with the CofE to such an extent the Synod is seen as the Tory party at prayer. It manifests itself through the Protestant work ethic, much beloved by the right wing.

Ed Miliband was going this way when he spoke of predistribution, a concept that at the time was laughed at by the commentariat, it is essentially welfarist and promotes a belief in state interventionist capitalism.

I am no lover of Glassman who was the initial mover behind Blue Labour, along with Cruddas I think, as I think it has led to the many accusations thrown around about Blairites being tories in disguise. Where blue Labour advocates such as Paul Embery the FBU chief and the Left do agree is they are both anti-EU, so I think neither faction will hold much sway as long as the pro-EU liberal left under Starmer have control of the party.
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I never said I’d vote for it nor support it, I just said I’d respect it and be less concerned with such party winning, than the hysterical bunch inside the Labour Party today.

That’s not strictly true of Sinn Fein, historically yes but they are now more liberal.

As I’ve said, my wish is to see both main parties be destroyed or split. Let the weird anti-British and it’s allies, socially liberal lot in Labour have their party. Have another left party that’s more traditional, a sort of Blue Labour, like the SDP now and then on the right, have a Cameron style party/Liberal Democrat and then a traditional Conservative Party.

These are the choices the country deserves.
 
Rascal said:
One last try to see if anyone on here can answer this.

There is already a Conservative party, a party of the right, a party of the free market, a party of individualism.

Explain to me what a party of the left should look like, what policies you would like to see a party of the Left have in a manifesto.

Here are 20 primers, can any on here tell me what is wrong with the following and why it should be different, what alternative would better suit the nation.

1/ The NHS should be funded properly, nurses should be paid a proper wage.
Yes, but it should also be accountable for its own waste of funds.
2/ The welfare state should be a treasured institution, that provides a proper safety net for those who come across hard times and it should support those unable to support themselves
Safety net, yes. But it should not be seen as an alternative to working. The concept of having a savings account and not reliant on Government/state support should be encouraged more
3/ Everybody who can work, should work
Only if they want to. If someone has the means to support themselves without Government help, it should be their choice if they work or not. People are not 'workers'.
4/ Everybody should pay there fair share of taxation
Indeed, everyone should pay their fair share, and at the exact same rate as everyone else. People should not be taxed more based on their circumstances or higher income. There should be an option for those who earn more CAN contribute more, but the Govt should not just take it.
5/ Infrastructure, like the railways should be in public ownership, its a vital national asset and should be treated accordingly
Disagree. It's a service like taxis or buses. Some people do not use public transport as it is an option. If people wish to contribute towards a public service, fine, but it should be an option, not a national tax.
6/ The armed forces should be properly funded and the services restored to former numbers, with British built ships, British built tanks etc
So long as the UK is hitting it's NATO obligations I have no issues. Armed Forces Personnel should indeed be paid a decent wage, and be given the best equipment for the tasks required.
7/ The police force should be restored to the numbers pre 2008, law and order is the bedrock of a decent society
To some extent, but the Police (and by extent the Government) also posesses too much power. Personally the general public should be allowed to safeguard their own protection in those circumstances where the Police cannot be present.
8/ Immigration should be controlled, asylum seekers should be welcome as per international agreements
Indeed.
9/ Children should receive the best education possible, it should be free and if they want to go on to further education then they should be encouraged to do so and it should be free. Education closes the inequality gap and provides the skills that an economy needs
True, but the education system needs to be changed. People have different skills and attributes and excel is some areas than others, but our society judges everyone to the same standard. "Don't judge a fish based on its inability to climb a tree"
10/ Nobody should ever be homeless in a rich modern country, Build a million new council houses, with rents at affordable rates and tenancy agreements available for life
Agreed but STOP building on greenbelts. There are plently of brownfield sites that could be redeveloped.
11/ Start a new National Investment Bank, that is available for SMEs so that they can provide jobs and help the economy prosper
So long as it is optional.
12/ Invest in green technology, its the future, we no longer rely on coal
So long as the 'green' technology is nuclear and the negative stigma around nuclear safety is publicly addressed, i'm absolutely all for it. Invest in greener vehicles as well.
13/ Close tax loopholes that allow those with wealth to move wealth out of the country
If people wish to move their wealth out of the country they should be allowed to do so. A persons wealth is not the property of the state.
14/ Electricity and Gas provision is vital for the nation to prosper, it should be owned by the people who need it and paid for it. The public.
Disagree. Instead things like solar power should be encouraged so that people are free to generate their own energy needs and that the government claims no taxes on it. Gas is a service and like all services people should be given the option which service they prefer. If you haven't figured out by now, i'm not in favour of the Government controlling everything.
15/ No library should ever be shut, they are vital institutions that help educate the nation.
Print is dead. Information in books can be found online and/or can be transferred over to digital format. Its a nostalgia factor, nothing more. I'm not advocating shutting them, but i'm not going to lament if they do.
16/ Trial by jury should be sacrosanct
Correct
17/ Prisons should be a place that offers rehabilitation, but also punishes those who commit heinious crime. Prison officer numbers should be restored to former numbers
Yes they should. But more efforts should be made to reduce the need for prisons.
18/ Local Government should have power to act on local issues, the grants should be restored so that local government cam meet the needs of local people
Yes they should, and be autonomous.
19/ Broadband/wifi should be available to everyone and every child should be given a tablet/laptop on starting school to help educate them properly. Education will help close the productivity gap
Broadband should be available to everyone. But individuals must make provisions to pay for it themselves and not expect others to.
20/ Unions should be restored to prominence, they are responsible for so many things we take for granted today and collective bargaining helps ensure wages are paid at a proper level.
When I see Union CEO's on £100,000 a year, I begin to question the integrity of the 'unions' and it's intentions. Instead i'd rather see employees given more rights that are worked into their contracts.
OK, there is 20 things that this "hard" left "numpty" would like to see for our country, I believe those 20 things would help restore pride in our country, enhance the patriotic feelings towards our nation, because patriotism is about loving the country you live in. It would enhance the role of family and reduce inequality.

Now who will deconstruct those 20 points and explain to this "hard" left "numpty" where I am going wrong?

A lot of your points are focused around the authority of the Government/Parliament and for everything to be paid for with taxes. I am not in favour of 'Big Government' and abhore authoritarianism. There are many of us who feel more rights should be afforded to the individual and reliance on the state should be relaxed. Many people are willing to help others, but are also interested in their own independence. They don't want too much Government control, Government interference. Not everything has to be controlled by the Government, not everything must be paid for through taxes. Essential services to health and security, yes. Everything else is through matter of personal choice and circumstance.

Where are you going wrong? You admitted you're not 'liberal' and an authoritarian. Most people in the UK do not share those same political views.
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